There's No Getting Over You
by thedeadpen
Summary: Will Dee and Ryo's bonds of love and trust be broken when a stranger starts talking about Dee's past? Will Ryo be able to hold on to Dee with fresh competition? One secret after another is revealed, and someone's secrets are lies. But whose?
1. What's Wrong Ryo?

Welcome! Unfortunately, I do not own FAKE. That honor belongs to Sanami Matoh-sama. But I will shamelessly manipulate her characters for the time being.  
-  
The first chapter is alot of background info. I left some things out to save time, fill in the obvious blanks (like Bikky) for yourself. If you haven't read the books, then what the hell are you doing here anyway! Also a peek at Ryo's inner turmoil. Enjoy!

* * *

It was just another ordinary day at the NYC 27th precinct. 

Ryo Maclean sat behind his desk with the customary mountain of paperwork that followed the wrap of a case as if he'd been there forever. He'd actually settled into detective life pretty well by the end of his first month. He'd been well used to his irritable boss, his childish but well-meaning coworkers, and even his new partner's shameless advances by the end of the first week, or so it seemed to his memory.

Now, over a year later, things had changed quite a bit in Ryo's life. He couldn't imagine what his life would be like if he weren't a detective. The chief was still irritable, and on top of that, the new commisioner had taken a keen liking to Ryo and was constantly trying to make a move on him (not such an improvement). His coworkers were still childish, but he'd also met some intelligent agents such as Diana Spacey of the FBI. But most importantly, Dee Laytner, his partner at the precinct, was now his partner in life (and in bed). Ryo completely adored his lover, the brash, dark haired cop that had shared Ryo's first experiences as an officer, even if he didn't always show Dee the intensity of his feelings.

But sometimes he wondered if it was entirely mutual, and a small pang of doubt about his lover's loyalty would trouble him. Dee was the type to strongly attach to something or someone at first sight, but could also lose interest in it just as suddenly. And as they grew closer and Ryo opened up more, the doubts seemed to grow more persistent.

That's why Ryo cringed when his morning work was disturbed by an ear splitting screech.

"DEEEEEEEE! I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaack!"

Dee gave a strangled curse and tried to disentangle himself from the figure that had latched on to him.

"Dammit, JJ! What the hell do you think you're doing?" JJ was attempting to smother the object of his affections with kisses, but Dee fought hard to keep him at bay.

"But Dee- I love you! And I missed you!" JJ proclaimed, finding a weakness in Dee's defenses and landing a kiss square on his lips. The struggle froze for a moment, then JJ was sprawled on the floor while Dee stood above him panting.

Ryo hurriedly turned away, his cheeks reddening. He felt his chest tighten uncomfortably. It wasn't like he hadn't gotten used to JJ's attacks on Dee- the younger man practically threw himself at Dee whenever they were in the same room. But it still made Ryo uncomfortable on some level. After all, by now it was common knowledge that Dee was _his_ koi. Why couldn't JJ accept that?

But being his usual passive self, Ryo said nothing and continued to work quietly. JJ slunk off after being thoroughly dismissed, and Dee also went back to his desk. There were a few moments of tense silence when all Ryo could concentrate on was the sound of Dee's pen scratching against paper, then it suddenly stopped and he heard the younger detective stand. He tried to focus on the form in front of him, but he grew both nervous and excited as his partner's footsteps approached (Dee always had this effect on him).

They stopped directly behind his chair, waiting, and Ryo was forced to give up all pretense of working. He turned around, suddenly annoyed.

"What?"

Dee put his hands on either side of Ryo's chair and leaned in close. Ryo stared into his deep green eyes and felt his face grow hot again.

"Okay, what's wrong?" Ryo averted his eyes. His partner had already forgotten the incident with JJ. It happened that often.

"It's nothing," He muttered.

Dee wasn't buying it. He put his hand against Ryo's forehead- it was cool and soothing.

"Are you sick or something? You feel a little warm- maybe you should take the rest of the day off..." Dee toyed absently with a stray curl over his partner's eyes. He hoped Ryo wasn't coming down with something, but if he was, he'd probably work himself until he could do more if Dee didn't stop him.

"I'm fine." Ryo half smiled. Dee peered at him suspiciously.

"Oh no you don't. That's it, you're acting strange. Time to go home!" He announced. Dee whisked Ryo's papers off of his desk and deposited them precariously on his own.

"But-" Ryo reached for the papers.

"No buts." Dee smirked as he playfully slapped Ryo's hand away. "Just leave it to me. I'll finish up here and come visit you later." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively. Ryo blushed for the third time that day and nodded compliance. He felt a pang of guilt at the prospect of leaving early, seeing as he wasn't actually sick, but he knew that he wouldn't get anymore work done at the precinct today. Especially if he saw JJ again. His mind was just somewhere else.

"Okay, I'll go ask the chief."

Dee grinned triumphantly and hurried him off. Ten minutes later, Ryo emerged from the chief's office with full permission to take the rest of the day off. There honestly hadn't been much of a fight. It was a slow day to begin with, and Ryo had walked in on the chief's cat nap. This was clearly a bribe to keep his mouth shut (not that he'd have said anything in the first place), but he wasn't complaining.

Ryo walked back towards his desk to say a final good bye to Dee and hopefully grab some paperwork. He had little confidence that it would get done otherwise.

He slowed as he rounded a corner and his workspace came into view. Dee was in deep conversation with someone who was sitting on HIS (being Ryo's) desk. And it wasn't just anyone. It was JJ.

Ryo wasn't the type of guy to storm over there in a jealous rage and threaten to kick the crap out of JJ, but he was hurt, and no longer felt much like saying good bye. On his way home, he couldn't seem to get the two men out of his head. Ryo knew he was being silly, but Dee and JJ had a long history together that Ryo knew virtually nothing about. Lately it had been bugging him more and more, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything to Dee about it.

He sighed as he entered his apartment and pushed all thoughts out of his mind. Bikky wasn't home yet and Ryo remembered him mentioning that he'd be at Carol's. He was actually glad Bikky wasn't there. He didn't want to worry him with his odd behavior.

He headed straight for the bathroom, stripping off all his clothes and turning on the hot water. He let the heat engulf him as he washed his hair and porcelain skin, forcing himself to clear his mind. Then he simply stood under the burning stream for a few minutes, letting it cascade over his lithe form and relieve tension.

When he was feeling slightly more relaxed, he dried off and put on a pair of grey sweatpants, still carefully keeping his mind blank. For some reason, Ryo was completely exhausted. He hadn't been able to sleep very well the past few night. He laid down in bed and pulled the covers up to his chin. Within moments he'd fallen into another light sleep full of fitful dreams.

* * *

Well, what did you think? Reviews are loved and much appreciated! (whether or not you like it) It's not the best, but I have big plans for later that will drag our beloved characters through hell. The next few chapters will be building a lot of angst. Be sure you come back and see what's happening! 


	2. Taking A Day Off

Welcome! Unfortunately, I do not own FAKE. That honor belongs to Sanami Matoh-sama. But I will shamelessly manipulate her characters for the time being.  
-  
Second Chapter! Sorry if you're having to reread, but bear with me. If you're a newcomer, stick around. It's going to get good, I promise. This is shorter than the last chapter, shows what happens when Dee comes over later. This is barely the beginning.

* * *

Dee wearily dragged his feet up the stairs to Ryo's apartment after a hard day. Apparently, the damn badger (aka the chief) had still been half asleep when he sent Ryo home earlier. But when he was fully conscious, he blamed Dee for his partner's absence and actually made him _do_ all of his and Ryo's work before leaving. 

He grumbled unhappily as he tried Ryo's door- unlocked, as usual. He was way too careless for a detective.

Dee smiled to himself, taking a moment to envision his koi lounging on the couch and looking both sexy and needy as he waited for him to come in. It was a nice fantasy, but not to be fulfilled that night he discovered upon seeing the vacant living room.

As strange as it might seem, for once he was sort of relieved that Ryo wasn't laid out to cater to his every desire. He'd been really worried about Ryo's odd behavior earlier and hoped he was now resting. Dee's desires could wait until his lover was back to being himself.

After shrugging off his coat and shoes, Dee checked the bedroom and found Ryo still asleep. Grinning wickedly, he quietly walked over and eased down beside him. For a few moments, he just sat there drinking in the sight of his sleeping partner's form. The outline of his gorgeously lean frame was visible beneath the cream colored sheets. His broad back was turned towards Dee, and honey curls still damp from the shower fanned across the pillow. Dee couldn't resist taking one of those curls in his hand. He twirled the lock a few times before his fingers involuntarily trailed down to the perfectly formed neck, gently caressing Ryo's skin. He had to exercise strong self-control to keep from doing anymore.

Ryo needed to rest. He'd been looking a little worn out. Dee had to content himself by gently draping an arm over Ryo's waist and laying down beside him, placing his head in the crook between Ryo's neck and shoulder so he could breathe in his lover's warm scent.

It wasn't until he was this close that he could hear Ryo's barely audible whimpers. Dee hugged him gently, hoping to comfort him and soothe whatever dream he was having, but the sounds grew as he applied more pressure.

"No..." Ryo moaned, still asleep. Dee was torn between wanting him to rest and protecting him from whatever was running through his head. He settled for stroking his cheek and whispering softly as he held him. With any luck, Ryo would either wake up or calm down.

Of course, since when was Dee known for his luck?

"Stop it. Don't..." Ryo began to struggle against Dee's arms.

"Ryo," He gently shook him.

"Stop."

"Ryo, wake up."

"STOP! Dee!" Ryo shoved violently against an unsuspecting Dee, who toppled off the bed. His thrashing also resulted in him becoming tangled in the sheets and hitting the carpet on the opposite side.

_Shit,_ Dee thought, rubbing his head as he climbed to his feet. Ryo hadn't reappeared from the floor yet. Dee walked around to where he lay huddled under the sheet. Dee could hear his shaky sobs.

He dropped to his knees beside his lover, immediately concerned and anxious. He'd only seen Ryo cry twice before- it just wasn't his way of coping.

"Hey, Ryo," He said soothingly as he tugged the sheet away.

"Dee!" Ryo quickly rubbed his eyes as his face came uncovered. He scuttled away until he'd backed against the wall. "When did you-"

"What's wrong, Ryo?" He asked quietly. Dee reached out a tentative hand. Ryo pressed himself flatter against the wall to avoid the touch. His eyes still leaked tear and he looked- well, scared.

Dee saw this in his lover's face and a part of him crumbled. "Ryo..."

The fear suddenly flooded away. Ryo looked Dee in his eyes and began to cry harder. In one swift motion, Dee swooped over and gathered Ryo into his arms, stroking his hair that was damp not only with water but with cold sweat.

Ryo's body shook, but he began to relax slightly as his lover's presence and warm strong body surrounded him. "Dee, it was such a bad dream." He whispered, shivering at the memory. _It had seemed so real._

"Hey baby, calm down. I'm here now, it'll be okay. I love you Ryo." Dee kissed his head tenderly and Ryo smiled.

"I love you too."

"You'd better." He hugged him tighter, almost possessively.

Ryo burrows deeper into his arms. They stayed cuddled on the floor, Dee rocking Ryo back and forth as he fell asleep again. Then he lifted him and laid him back on the bed, making sure he was covered. He lingered for a few minutes before kissing the sleeping man's forehead and making the wise decision to leave the room. He couldn't be trusted with a defenseless sleeping Ryo in the room.

"Sweet dreams, baby," He whispered, going out to lay on the couch. He left the door open so he could hear if Ryo began to have another nightmare. But after a long day at the precinct and all the worry over his partner, Dee himself was soon snoring soundly.

* * *

So, how was it? Let me know if you were bored out of your mind and I will throw myself off a bridge, or devise some similar method of atoning. But I'm personally getting caught up in the story. Next chapter will have a mild lemon, but don't let that drive you away. Or if you go for lemons, be sure to come back. Sorry, it's slight as of this moment until I figure out how well it goes over. 


	3. Nightmares

Welcome! Unfortunately, I do not own FAKE. That honor belongs to Sanami Matoh-sama. But I will shamelessly manipulate her characters for the time being.  
-  
Warning, this chapter contains YAOI- male on male action. If it bothers you, you shouldn't be reading M rated FAKE fic, you idiot. For everyone else with sense, I hope I don't disappoint you with this chapter! A closer look into what Ryo's been dealing with internally.

* * *

_Ryo looked around the rather small room and immediately knew that something was not quite right about his location. There was no furniture whatsoever. The walls, where you could see them, were faded white. But more noticeable was the fact that they were covered in pictures- polaroid shots, photocopies, even framed black and white portraits. All of them had a common subject...Dee Laytner. _

_Examining the picture carefully, he was perplexed by their sheer numbers. Part of him was creeped out to see his lover's face used as wallpaper. Then again, there were scattered shots of Dee in rather...compromising positions that he couldn't help being turned on by, even if it was a little more than disturbing. Where had they all come from?_

_Ryo continued to scan the photos until he came to a poster-sized image that he had to back up to look at properly. This one stood out in prominence from the others, and it was the only one Ryo could see had two people. One was, of course, Dee. The other was JJ._

_He felt his heart drop into his stomach. Where the hell was he? Suddenly all the pictures of Dee had him feeling nauseous. _

_Leaving the room through its only door, Ryo found himself in a long hallway. No pictures here, but it was painted in a deep green that reminded him of Dee's eyes. This was insane._

_For a minute, he just stood there, the image of that picture burned into his memory. Dee's arms had been draped over JJ's shoulders, protectively and lovingly, and JJ reclined his head comfortably on Dee's shoulder. Their expressions had both been radiant and happy. When had that been taken? When had the two of them been so close?_

_Ryo's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of hushed voices farther down the hall. He followed the noise, feeling more confused and anxious by the minute. The voices grew louder- a subdued laugh, a sigh, a gentle shush. Then he was suddenly in front of a door, and the noise was coming from the other side._

_His palms were sweating, but his blood ran cold. He knew that laugh._

_Almost without thinking, he swung the door opened in a panic, desperate to be proven wrong. But the sight before him was worse than he could have imagined. There was a large bed covered in rumpled black sheets, becoming further tangled by the activities of the two half clothed figures sprawled out on top of them._

_The face towards Ryo was JJ's, eyes glistening with desire and pleasure- eyes that couldn't see Ryo as he stood in the doorway. His hands were tightly twined through raven hair that covered the face of the man attached to his neck._

_"No..."_

_The darker haired of the two was definitely in control, and began planting a trail of small kisses down JJ's bare chest, his companion relishing in the attention. He slowly worked off the smaller man's jeans, lips never breaking contact with skin._

_Ryo stared as if in a trance- the way then man's hands lightly caressed and tickled. He knew those hands and their fiery touch._

_"Stop it. Don't..."_

_Now JJ was busy working off his partner's pants. Conveniently, the man wore no boxers and Ryo got a full view of him from behind, never once seeing his face. But that muscular back and shapely ass were horrifyingly familiar._

_Then the man took the reigns again and slowly laid JJ back down, whispering loving words that Ryo couldn't make out._

_"Stop." He choked- he could barely breathe. He hadn't felt so much pain inside of him in so long. Why was he watching this?_

_JJ's legs had been spread wide and his larger partner loomed over him. The small man let out a whimper that immediately became a pleading groan. The two mens' bodies quickly established a rhythm that gradually built in intensity, as if they knew one another's desires as well as they knew their own. JJ let out intermittent cries and moans, while the other man murmured to him. Suddenly, Ryo could hear his deep, passionate growl._

"_Hush, baby, it's all right. I love you JJ."_

_Ryo finally snapped out of it. _

"Stop! DEE!"

Ryo shot up in bed, his face covered in sweat, his cheeks wet with fresh tears. He had to run to make it to the bathroom, his body convulsing as it rejected what little he'd eaten that day, attempting to deal with the dream yet again. It had happened every day for the past week, and twice just that day.

He leaned his head against the coolness of the toilet bowl, attempting to calm his breathing and heart rate. He berated himself for getting so worked up over a damn dream, but he couldn't help it. The thought of Dee and JJ together- Dee and anyone else together- made him ill (literally; and the realistic dream images hadn't helped).

Sighing, Ryo admitted to himself that he was addicted- Dee was like a drug he couldn't live without. It was what he'd been afraid of from the start, but he knew that he was fully dependent upon Dee's love, and it felt good to have so much on the line. But he wanted the same devotion from him, and not just in the form of sex. Was Dee completely loyal to him, mind, body, and spirit?

He had no reason to suspect otherwise, but these dreams...they kept shoving Ryo's worst fears into his face. Now they were getting in the way of his relationship. Like earlier at work. And now here he was in the bathroom while Dee slept on his couch. They hadn't spent time together all week, and hadn't slept together in longer. This was getting to be too much.

Forcing himself to get up, he left the bathroom on shaky feet and went into the living room. He laid down on the floor beside the couch wearily and grabbed the hand dangled over the edge. For the first time in seven days he slept dreamlessly.

* * *

I almost feel bad for doing this to Ryo. If he seems a little out of character in the dream...how to put this? Have you ever dreamed and felt like you weren't really yourself? Even if the circumstances are unbelievable, you don't question them? If not, you'll have to imagine what it's like, because that's the way Ryo dreams (well, the way I dream that I'm passing on to Ryo for lack of a better example). Anyway, reviews are loved! See you next chapter! 


	4. New Officer

Welcome! Unfortunately, I do not own FAKE. That honor belongs to Sanami Matoh-sama. But I will shamelessly manipulate her characters for the time being.  
-  
Thanks for reading so far! You're awesome, you know that? Yes you. I always appreciate a faithful (or extremely bored) reader. This chapter brings in an OC that will be giving our boys in blue a bit of trouble, both in and out of the office. Have fun.

* * *

When Ryo woke up, he was completely alone. But he was no longer lying on the floor, he'd been moved to the couch and covered with a blanket. He could smell Dee's scent on both and it made him smile. 

But he had to get up. He had no idea what time it was, but he was undoubtedly late for work, judging by the bright sunlight that filled his apartment. After a quick shower, he dressed and went to the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee on the way out.

Beside the coffee pot was a note written in Dee's distinctive scribble.

'I wanted to get a head start on today's work, so I went in a little early. You looked so cute, I didn't wake you up. Don't pass out on the floor next time. I'll see you at the precinct if you're feeling better. Dee'

Ryo left the note on the counter, but mused about it all the way to work. Not the part about how cute he looked sleeping, or the concern behind his sleeping on the floor or being well enough to come back, or course. Get a head start? He normally had to threaten Dee just to get him to get up at all. But he had a massive headache from last night and decided that he'd just have to find out what this was all about when he saw Dee.

Everything at the precinct looked normal. The chief had greeted him in passing when he entered.

"Randy! I wasn't sure we'd see you today. Dee mentioned you were still feeling under the weather."

"I'm fine now, sir." He said. And he did feel fine, except for his head. Ryo went to his desk, once again buried in papers, and settled in. It seemed that Dee was off on other business. For all he knew, he could be on lunch break. Ryo hadn't looked at a clock all day.

As he began to go through the papers on his desk, he noticed that it was oddly quiet. Normally, the office was buzzing with noise and activity. But now there was nothing. Ryo looked around in confusion, but saw no one (which might explain the silence).  
His first reaction was to head towards the conference rooms at the back of the precinct. Was he missing a meeting or something?

The closer he got to the rooms, the more noise he began to hear. There were shouts, cheers, peals of laughter. He'd found the people, but it was definitely did not sound like any meeting he'd ever been to. He discovered that the noise was coming from the largest conference room and the doors were closed. He opened one and raised an eyebrow at the sight before him. It looked like everyone in the precinct was inside.

His observant police-trained eyes picked up several things at their first glance of the crowded room. It was definitely not a meeting- it looked more like a party, with people standing around talking and joking casually. Also, it wasn't as if they weren't allowed to be standing around in the middle of the workday. The chief was lounging against the wall talking to Drake and a few other officers and looking very relaxed.

But this hadn't been planned, either. He hadn't known about it, for one, and there were no drinks or food of any kind, and there was no way the guys at the precinct would miss a chance to have refreshments at work if they'd gotten wind of whatever cause for festivity there was soon enough.

But what was the cause for the merriment? Most of the people were clumped around the middle of the room, and Ryo closed the door and moved in that direction. The tables and chairs that normally crowded the room had been moved somewhere, but he didn't see them.

He got several casual hellos as he moved through the crowd, but he didn't stop. He hadn't seen Dee yet, and he still had to find out what was going on.

"So I say to him 'You trying to tell me I'm too violent with these scum bag criminals?' And he says me 'Yeah.' like it was the most obvious thing in the world! So what else could I do?"

Ryo finally broke through the ring of people in time to see a strange man slam his fist into the side of Dee's head.

"What the hell, man!" He yelled, running to Dee and helping him up.

"What the hell is right, Tony! You think that's violent? Ryo here hits harder!" Dee laughed as he got to his feet, and was rewarded by having that point backed up with a punch from his partner.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Tony grinned, scratching his head. "I didn't want to hurt you or anything. Just demonstrating a point. But anyway, he wasn't too pleased, as you can imagine, so I told him to go ahead and transfer me if we couldn't work out our differences- and trust me, we couldn't. So he did, and here I am." He gave a bow and got a few cheers from the group. Then he turned to Ryo, who was now staring at the wall with his back turned to Dee, pretending his partner didn't exist.

"So this must be the infamous Randy Ryo Maclean. Your reputation precedes you, believe me. It's a pleasure, man, a real pleasure." He stuck out his head, and Ryo shot him a cold stare that was met by a friendly grin. He couldn't help but break down and smile too as he returned the handshake. Points to the new guy for charisma at least.

He still thought it was out of line for this man to have punched Dee, but Dee didn't seem too upset about it. So he should just drop it. Besides, if what this guy had said was true, then they'd be working together from now on. Might as well try to start off on a good foot.

"So...Tony? You seem to be on pretty good terms with Dee for this to be your first meeting- did you already know him?" He didn't actually mean for it to sound as suspicious as it did, but you don't just go punching people in a police station. Unless you were _close_. It was frankly dangerous.

"We're all old buddies from the Academy." JJ suddenly appeared beside Ryo, who jumped back in surprise.

"JJ!" Tony threw a friendly arm over the young officer's shoulder and tightened it into a headlock. JJ laughed and spent several minutes struggling free.

"It's been forever since we were all together like this, hasn't it?" JJ sighed with a smile, straightening the collar of his shirt.

"But I see you and JJ managed to stay together while I got sent off." Tony had an accusatory glare on his face, but he couldn't hold it for more than a few seconds before he burst into a fit of laughter. JJ joined in, but Dee was nervously watching Ryo, who was suddenly giving off very creepy vibes.

Tony noticed the tension and raised an eyebrow. "What, you aren't together any-?"

"I'm going to go get a drink." Ryo's voice could have frozen Hell over. He left without a second glance and didn't come back for the rest of the party.

* * *

Was it worth the wait? This relationship is definitely not going well at the moment. And I have no plans to improve it any time soon. Checkout 5, because the real trouble hasn't even started yet. And reviews are a good way to get me to update, so be sure to leave any comments, good or bad. 


	5. Dee's Past

Welcome! Unfortunately, I do not own FAKE. That honor belongs to Sanami Matoh-sama. But I will shamelessly manipulate her characters for the time being.  
-  
Glad you made it here to chapter 5! (glad I made it too, to tell you the truth.) If you haven't read the first 4 chapters, get your ass back to chapter one! If you have, please continue, enjoy, and review with tips, insults, random thoughts, etc. etc. What does Tony have to tell Ryo about Dee's past? You've gotta keep reading. So here we go!

* * *

Ryo had taken a day off after the precinct party. He couldn't keep his head straight. Tony, the long lost friend who happened to know Dee and JJ very well, hadn't made things any easier on Ryo. He'd all but stated that Dee and JJ used to be an item. Was it the truth? 

He hadn't had a chance to ask Dee about it. The younger detective hadn't called or stopped by in days, and Ryo wasn't going out of his way to see him either. Everything was just so screwed up.

But Ryo couldn't run from it forever, so he returned to work with the best attitude he could. He'd try really hard not to blow up at Dee or kill JJ, and he wanted to avoid Tony all together for the time being.

And when the day was half over, it seemed like he was going to be able to deal with the situation at work. They'd gotten a big case on a rash of murders that had happened in the past week, all with similar circumstances, suspected to have been done by the same person or group of people. So things had been busy, and he didn't have time to fight with Dee while they were out gathering information.

And even when he saw JJ back at the precinct, he was able to stay calm. For once, the clingy young officer stayed on the task he was doing instead of attaching himself to Dee.

So as Ryo settled himself into his desk to go over the information he'd gathered and begin to fill out paperwork, he wasn't feeling nearly as bad as he thought he would. Before he knew it, Dee was standing in front of his desk asking if he was ever going to leave.

Ryo looked up in surprise, then glanced at his watch. Time flew fast, that was for sure- he'd been buried in his work for five hours.

"Oh, sorry," He laughed. Dee shook his head and told him to get his coat.

"Do you have any plans tonight?" He asked, not looking straight at his partner. Ryo shook his head. "Well, do you want to come over? I think we need to-"

"DEE! Get your ass over here! What the hell is this!" The chief looked really pissed, and Dee didn't get a chance to finish what he'd been saying as he was dragged off to be lectured for his most recent screw up, whatever it was.

Ryo sighed and went into the break room to get his coat, moving very slowly. Yes, they did need to talk, but he wasn't sure he was ready to talk. It scared him to tell Dee what he'd been preoccupied about lately. How would he react? What if it was true?

"You okay Ryo?" Ryo jumped a foot and spun around. Tony was sitting at a table sipping coffee and watching him with a friendly smile. They were the only people in the room.

"You want a cup of coffee or something?" He stood and moved forward. "We haven't really got a chance to talk, you left in such a hurry the other day. I hope I didn't say something to-"

"Um, no, not at all." Ryo took an involuntary step back, then cringed inside as Tony furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Look, I think we may have started off on the wrong foot. I swear, I didn't mean anything by punching Dee. We used to be really good friends at the Academy, we were always roughing each other up. It was all in fun, for old times sake, you know?"

Ryo gave a small smile. "I know, it's fine. I'm not mad about it. It actually sounds like Dee to do things like that with friends." Tony looked a little relieved, but not entirely, and Ryo forced himself to seem more friendly.

"So have you and Dee been keeping in touch since you graduated?"

"Nah, not really. The other day was the first time I'd seen him or JJ in years, but as soon as we were together it was like we'd never been apart." Tony smiled and scratched his head. "I had no idea that both of them were here. We were like brothers back in the day. I guess it's my good luck."

Ryo nodded. Well, this conversation was safe enough so far. He didn't want it to get into dangerous waters, so he politely said that he had to be going and headed for the door. But Tony followed him.

"I need to be getting back to work too." He dropped his coffee, still half full, into the trashcan and exited beside Ryo.

They walked in silence for a few seconds, before Tony, looked over at him. "So you and Dee have been partners for..."

"Close to eighteen months." Ryo answered reluctantly. He sensed where this was going and didn't like it.

"You seem pretty close. Partners and friends, right?" Ryo didn't like the tone in Tony's voice, but he didn't say anything about it.

"Something like that, yeah." They rounded a corner and Ryo could see the doors- his salvation! But in front of them was a sight he did NOT want to see. Dee and JJ.

Tony laughed. "I know where you're coming from." Tony caught site of his old friends just then as well and laughed. It didn't sounds as friendly as his earlier laughs had. "Man, I never thought they'd have stayed together this long. They really have something." Ryo clenched his fists, telling himself that Tony didn't mean what it sounded like he meant.

"Hey Ryo, mind if I give you a warning? They've been together for as long as I've known them. If I ever knew two people who loved each other, it's them. And Dee will always choose JJ. Trust me, I'm speaking from experience." Tony laughed suddenly and patted Ryo on the shoulder. "So don't go getting too attached." He left without another word. It took all of Ryo's self control not to pull out his gun and fill Tony's head with bullets. It couldn't be true. Dee would have said something.

But would he have really?

Ryo walked out the door, passing his partner, who was attempting to fight off JJ's embrace, without a word.

"Hey Ryo!" Dee called after him. JJ whined about how mean Dee was, but he disentangled himself and followed Ryo. "What's up? I saw you talking to Tony. What do you think of him? Hey, are you okay?" Dee put a hand on Ryo's shoulder to stop him, and he violently turned and slapped Dee's hand away. He was shaking. Dee had rarely seen him this angry.

"I can't come over tonight, I have plans."

"But you said-" There was something seriously wrong with this situation.

"Look Dee, I have to go. You should get going too. I'm fine, don't worry. And don't call. I'll be busy." Ryo left him standing there, looking dumbfounded. He walked home quickly, closing the door behind him and locking it.

"You okay Ryo?" Bikky was sitting on the couch with Carol, playing some kind of card game. They were both looking up at him with concern. He hadn't meant to slam the door. But damn had it felt good.

"Yeah, fine. I'm just going to shower and take a nap- I'm beat." He went into his room, but came back a second later. "If Dee comes over, tell him I'm out. Don't let him in, please."

Bikky gave him a thumbs up, already wrapped up in their game again. Ryo smiled and watched them play for a few minutes as they laughed, childishly flirted, bickered. He returned to his room with his thoughts tangled and confusing.

He hoped Bikky and Carol lasted, even if Bikky did something stupid to piss Carol off, and even if Carol said something really hurtful that upset Bikky. Ryo could tell how happy they made each other.

He just didn't realize that he was slowly letting that same thing slip out of his own life.

* * *

Big hopeless sigh for all of the people who are hopelessly becoming caught up in my twisted storyline. And hurrah for the first appearance of Bikky and Carol! I figured I had to bring them in at some point, and since this was leading back to Ryo's place, it's as good a time as any. Something similar happened in the series, Ryo telling Bikky not to let Dee in.Check outchapter 6 to see what goes on this time. 


	6. Secrets?

Welcome! Unfortunately, I do not own FAKE. That honor belongs to Sanami Matoh-sama. But I will shamelessly manipulate her characters for the time being.  
-  
I'm not anywhere near finished with Dee and Ryo yet. Wanna know what happens when Dee shows up? Read on.

* * *

Ryo was able to calm down somewhat during his shower. The hot water relaxed him enough to where a stray thought of Dee didn't make him want to puke or break something- or both. 

He dried off and wrapped the towel around his waist for modesty's sake as he exited the bathroom into the adjoining bedroom. But he was no longer tired, and now his stomach was grumbling uncomfortably.

"Bikky, Carol! Are you guys hungry?" He got no reply and went into the living room, never having known those two to turn down a meal. But neither was there to have answered his call.

Instead, Dee was lounging on the couch, his legs spread wide, still wearing work clothes and slowly dragging on a cigarette. His deep green eyes were locked onto Ryo with a mixture of anger, hurt, and something else he couldn't quite place...

He clenched his towel tighter around his waist and backed away.

"Yeah, you look pretty busy Ryo. Sorry I stopped by so unexpectedly."

"Where are Bikky and Carol?"

"Those apes? I told them we needed some alone adult time. We have to talk, Ryo. I-"

"No." He turned around without another word and went back to his bedroom, closing the door behind him.

A few seconds later, Dee come in as well. He'd left his cigarette in the other room and was still staring at Ryo with those intense eyes. And now he could tell what else was in them- lust. Men.

"Why not?"

"Because..." Ryo continued to back away. He wasn't ready to have this conversation. And he wished he'd put on some clothes- it was hard to talk at all when he was only wearing a wet towel. If only Bikky were still here, but Dee had undoubtedly bribed him to take Carol out somewhere for the rest of the night. Great.

"Look," His partner was moving towards him now, his tone as serious as Ryo had ever heard it. "If there's something going on, we need to work it out here and now. You've been acting strange all week. What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Ryo turned his head away when he couldn't back up any further unless he crawled onto the bed. And that was definitely not how he wanted this to end up. Right?

Dee was only a foot away now. Ryo could smell his light cologne, mixed with something that was distinctively _Dee_. He was afraid his body might start to react on its own if he didn't put some distance between them.

Stepping to the side, Ryo made a break for the bathroom, where the door locked, at a quick jog. "I'm not feeling well, Dee," He murmured. "You should go home." But suddenly Dee was in front of him. There was more hurt in his eyes than anger now, and Ryo wanted to crawl under a rock because he knew he'd caused it. But he didn't know how else to handle this- he'd never had to deal with this in a relationship. If he asked him about JJ, he'd get defensive and deny it. He'd say he only had eyes for Ryo, and then they'd kiss, and make love and it would go on nagging at the back of his mind every time they were together.

Did he really have such little faith in the man he loved? Dee wanted to know the same thing.

"Ryo, please, don't you trust me?" He touched his hand to Ryo's cheek gently, but he drew away with a sharp jerk before seeming to come back to himself, just as he had the other day.

"Does this have anything to do with your nightmares?"

That's when the tears came, fast and heavy. Ryo raised a trembling hand to his own cheek, a bewildered expression on his face. "I'm sorry. I-I don't know why-" But he knew. He'd always known.

"Shh, it's okay. Ryo, it's all right, I'm here. I love you." He wrapped his arms around his lover comfortingly, but was immediately shoved away.

"Don't touch me! Don't- don't. Liar." He dodged around Dee, slamming the bathroom door closed and locking it with a snap. Then he stared horrified at his own expression in the mirror while Dee pounded on the door, demanding a reason, an explanation for this insane behavior.

Ryo had none. JJ kept running through his mind. JJ at work with Dee, JJ in Ryo's dream with Dee, JJ and Dee in bed, in love. He was losing his mind. Why was he dreaming about them? He wasn't even a naturally jealous person. Why had Tony shown up talking about them? Why was JJ _always_ around?

The ring of a cell phone momentarily stopped the assault on the door. Ryo patted his own pockets instinctively, but heard Dee answer his own cell outside.

"Hello?" His voice was tight with anger, but his next reply was much softer. "Hey, I'm sorry, okay? It's just stress." He moved away and lowered his voice, obviously trying to keep his conversation private. Ryo pressed his ear to the keyhole, straining to hear. "You're free? Yeah, he won't miss me- he's locked in the bathroom." Dee chuckled lightly at the response that received. Ryo's stomach fell.

"Perfect. I'll be right over. See you soon." Dee hung up his phone and the next thing Ryo heard was the slamming of the apartment door. His partner was gone.

Bikky and Carol showed up a few hours later.

"Well, nothing's broken. I guess they made up." Carol smiled. "You owe me $1."

Bikky grumbled and made his way to the kitchen, peering into Ryo's room as he passed by it. "Hey Carol..." He stopped and called to her. She came with a curious expression on her face.

Inside, Ryo was curled up on the floor at the foot of the bed. He tightly clutched the pillow from Dee's side of the bed and whimpered in his sleep. There were tear stains on the pillow case, and on his cheeks.

Bikky and Carol exchanged worried glances.

"I don't think they made up, Carol."

* * *

Came so close to ending this in a lemon, but changed it at the last minute. This will work out for later in my story. We all feeling the OOC emotional Ryo? Lack of sleep, lack of Dee, and too much JJ make things so fun! Who was Dee on the phone with? Who knows? See if I put it in chapter 7! 


	7. Honesty

Welcome! Unfortunately, I do not own FAKE. That honor belongs to Sanami Matoh-sama. But I will shamelessly manipulate her characters for the time being.  
-  
After a LONG break, we return! On with the angst! And maybe a resolution is near...or maybe that's just what I want you to think...

* * *

The morning felt different than all the other ones he'd woken up to in the last few weeks. During the night, Ryo had tossed aside Dee's pillow, almost like he'd pushed away his lover when he showed up. 

But it was more than that. He hadn't dreamed a single dream all night. No Dee, no JJ, no anything. And that wasn't bad, it was wonderful, but he felt...anticlimactic. Let down after such a heated confrontation. Even worse, he felt guilty. He had nothing to fell guilty about, but he did.

Bikky greeted him in pajamas with coffee and toast already on the table.

"You look good today, Ryo." He nodded approvingly as his guardian come in, straightening his tie and carrying a briefcase and jacket.

What an odd thing to say. But waking up and having Bikky already in the kitchen was odd. "Thanks." Was all he could think to reply. He sat down and surveyed the room, making sure nothing was broken or missing that would lead to this sudden strange behavior.

Bikky sat down across from his with a bowl of cereal. He hadn't even tried for pop and junk food today.

"So...how are you feeling?"

"How am I feeling?"

"Yeah, you know..." Bikky scratched his chin while thinking of how best to phrase it. "Are you, like, okay and everything? Do I need to stay out tonight? Or do you want me to keep that jerk away again?"

"You did a great job of that last night." Ryo grinned, bemused and touched by his young charge's obvious concern. "Don't worry about it. I'm fine. Great, in fact. Look at this wonderful breakfast." He sipped his coffee and smiled through a gag at how strong it was, but he still had to give Bikky credit for trying. "And I'm going to be home early tonight and cook. Why don't you invite Carol over? It can be just the three of us."

"Awesome." He grinned, satisfied that he'd cheered Ryo up enough to let him go for the day. With that, he dumped his cereal in the trash, grabbed a can of pop from the fridge, and ran out the door before he could be stopped.

Ryo shook his head, and as soon as he'd made a fresh pot of coffee and finished his toast, he followed suit.

-  
There's been a new break on the case that they were now sure was a serial killer acting alone. It wasn't a new body, but DNA evidence definitively linked the four victims from the last few weeks to the same guy. Now Ryo had the fun task of running matches through the database, which he guessed would yield no results, neither would a search for similar MOs, as he'd tried half a dozen times, and as they had nothing else to go on, it left him a fun day of playing catch up on the massive paperwork backup he'd somehow fallen in to (unless someone else's body was turned up, which even he didn't have the gall to hope for).

That wasn't even the best part. Dee hadn't shown up or phoned in. He wasn't worried. The detective was avoiding a very dangerous situation being stuck in an office with his unstable partner for eight hours. Ryo didn't blame him. And with no distraction, he managed to finish up with time to spare. He didn't need Dee. He was a hassle. Why did it take him so long to realize it?

He used his extra time as a responsible officer would and went to glean information from his coworkers who were covering the same case or might have heard something about it instead of kicking back and napping as his partner would have.

Nothing really came of this, but better safe than sorry, and he was safer with something distracting his attention.

The only person he didn't want to ask that may potentially have provided information was JJ, and for obvious reasons he steered clear of the younger officer.

However, JJ it seemed had been trying to approach Ryo all day with horrible timing. It wasn't until he'd ran out of people to talk to and dejectedly returned to his office that JJ cornered him.

"I heard you've been looking for information on your case." Nice, safe police conversation.

"Just seeing what I've missed." Ryo wouldn't look up at him. He didn't like him being so close while they were alone. He didn't trust himself.

"I thought you might want to hear what Dee and I-"

Ryo shoved his chair back from his desk, upsetting a pile of papers that scattered like frightened birds to blanket the floor between them. He actually made a very frightening impression when he was pissed. JJ took a step back.

"I don't care what you thought I might what to hear about you and Dee and whatever the hell it was you were doing last night. Just get out." He'd known the minute Dee picked up the phone and changed tones so abruptly that it had been JJ on the other line. And it made him sick. He didn't need him.

"But Ryo-"

"I said get out!"

"What the hell is your problem, anyway? You've been acting like a psycho lately. Even Dee doesn't know what's gotten into you. He's you're partner-"

"You're right. He'd my partner. And that's none of your business. And what goes on in my life outside of work is none of his business. Why don't you tell him that?"

JJ stared incredulously. "Why don't you tell him? And while you're at it, tell him what the fuck he did to piss you off so badly. Stop being such a royal bitch and let him know what's going up. Then maybe he wouldn't have to come complain to me while we're supposed to be-"

"Where the hell do you get off?" He whispered quietly. It was such a contrast to the shouting that had filled the room a moment earlier that JJ had to ask him to repeat it.

"Where the hell do you get off," Ryo gritted his teeth and spoke louder. "Telling me what to do about Dee? You're so concerned when we're fighting, aren't you? I'll bet you're just all torn up inside, comforting him when he shows up at your door." He honestly felt like he was going to punch the younger man.

And after that comment, JJ looked like he'd have a solid blow to throw back at him. He laughed, but not in a friendly manner. "You know, I never took you for the jealous type."

"Go figure." Ryo replied stonily.

"So what, now he can't so much as talk to another man without you getting your feathers ruffled?"

"He can talk as much as he wants to."

"Then where the hell is the problem?" Ryo chose not to reply. He wasn't having this conversation. There was no way he was going to talk about this at work.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me. You have this amazing guy whose head over heels in love with you and all you want to do it throw a tantrum about petty little things like-"

"Like him fucking other men? Sorry for being so petty." He shocked himself saying it, and his reaction was nothing to JJ's. He laughed. Uproariously. He was really amused by it.

"Is that why you're so upset?" What the hell kind of question was that? "That's ridiculous. Who has be been fucking?" Ryo glared murderously at him and said nothing. After a minute, JJ seemed to get why he was the target of such malicious attention. His eyes went wide in what Ryo assumed to be guilt at being caught.

"Where did you hear that?" Half of his expression became clouded over in ecstasy. Ryo didn't even want to consider what he was imagining, or more likely remembering. Again he said nothing. The only source besides his dreams was Tony, and he was loathe to divulge that to JJ.

JJ's expression came down from euphoric when it seemed like Ryo wasn't at all amused. It had been worth a shot. He sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair. "If that's all your problem is, you need to get over it now."

He couldn't believe he'd just said that! "And what am I supposed to-"

"Listen. Dee is in love with you. Totally and completely. He doesn't do anything but talk about you and think about you and it kills him that you aren't letting him in on this one. If you'd have asked him if he was sleeping around, you'd have broken his heart. Ryo, he wouldn't do that to you. For anyone."

There wasn't a reply he could make. He listened to the words critically, as if listening to a witness describe a crime but heard no insincerity. Could he believe it? God, did he want to. He just wanted Dee...

"I can't believe you were such an idiot. You need to talk to him. And if you screw this up again, I might not be standing here trying to fix things." He waved a hand and closed the door behind him. He wasn't even going to bother telling him about the information he'd run across on Ryo's case the night before. Dee would fill them in as long as Ryo got in contact with him. And for both their sakes, he'd better do it soon. They were a mess without each other, that was for sure.

* * *

Hm...turned out more interesting that I thought it would. Let me know what you think, and I finally planned out the rest of the story, so I'll try to finish this one up some time...I'd say soon, but we all know I'm not the more consistent updater. Oh well... 


	8. Parallels

And I return after a nasty cliffhanger, sorry about the wait. Tony is mine, everyone else is not.

* * *

Ryo sat at his desk and watched the closed door. No one disturbed it.

What the hell? Was he supposed to just _believe_ JJ? After everything-

_After what?_ What had he ever done besides be overly affectionate with Dee that Ryo had proof of? What had Dee ever done that would make Ryo think he'd be unfaithful?

_The phone call._

He chided himself. He was a detective, and he knew that was a weak defense. His nightmares and Tony's none-too-subtle hints about their past together were equally unsubstantiated. He just felt it, like a worm that had dug into the darkest part of his mind. He was so terrified that their affair was real, he was afraid not to believe it.

"Damn it!" Ryo cleared his desk of paperwork, a stack of filing trays, and his lamp in one furious swipe.

When he wasn't looking, the door opened. Drake didn't say anything when Ryo punched his desk and looked up at him.

Not able to think of anything else to do, he knocked on the open door.

"What?"

"Uh- sorry- Ryo, you're got a double homicide. Tony's riding since Dee-" He rubbed his neck nervously. "You want me to clean up while you're gone?"

Ryo walked past Drake. "Leave it." He stopped. None of this was Drake's fault. "Thanks, though. I'll...get it later." He tried to smile and Drake returned the gesture.

"No problem."

Ryo checked his watch as he walked. In twenty minutes, he'd have been off. Instead, he got to spend the next two hours with someone who was number three on his list of people to avoid. Lucky him.

* * *

"So, you're not really _gay_, are you?"

"Excuse me?" Ryo's siren blared as he maneuvered the squad car through New York City traffic on the way to the crime scene. If he had to guess, though, he'd say Tony's mouth was running faster than the vehicle was.

"I mean, you've been with women, right?"

"Uh- yeah."

"Yeah, I got this model now. She's all right, but she's needy, ya' know? I tell her, lady, I'm a cop, I got demands on my time. You can eat your meals alone, you know? I'm not at your beckon call." He laughed like this was some uproarious joke. Ryo eyed him sideways, trying to judge if he was supposed to react similarly.

"Ah, yeah, but I guess two cops would understand it. Their schedules would be hectic, though. I don't know how Dee and JJ lasted so long."

Ryo didn't have to respond to this. They were at the crime scene.

Drake had his facts right on the double homicide. The bodies were lying in an alley, probably fallen where they'd been shot, both numerous times, but none instantly fatal. They were probably left for dead and bled out before they were found.

"Some nasty love triangle, eh?" Tony whistled.

"How about we stick to what we know?" Ryo suggested, pulling on a pair of gloves. Male, thirtyish, female, mid-twenties, both in dress clothes, no purse or wallet- a violent robbery the night before? Very violent. Maybe too violent to be a robbery...

Someone asked for permission to move the bodies and he nodded. The female was on top, so they pulled her away first. Ryo stopped them before they moved the male.

There, in a pool of blood beneath where her hand had been, was a piece of blood-soaked paper. He picked it up gently. A picture.

The two smiling faces were their victims, though they looked a few years younger. She had her hands in his hair, and his were around her waist, and they were staring into each other's eyes like there was nothing and no one else in the world- complete love and trust.

Ryo looked down at their blood, mixed indistinguishably on the concrete, and just felt wrong. It should be safe to be as happy and in love as they'd been. Things like this shouldn't happen. If they'd known when they went out that it would be their last night together...

He spent another forty minutes going over the scene and talking to people who'd been in the area., then another half hour talking to the medical examiner about his preliminary evaluations, all the while having to deal with Tony's commentary, much of which could be somehow brought back to Dee or JJ.

By the time they were officially ready to part ways for the night, he'd had more than enough. Do when Tony gave him a snide warning to be careful who he let into his bed later, he snapped.

"Look, as informed as you think you are on what's going on, it's been made painfully clear that you have a few problems with relationships, so thanks for all the advice, but I think I can handle it from here." Tony reminded Ryo of a man scorned, and everything he had to say about anyone who looked happy was dripping with sarcasm and disdain. Whatever his issues were, he could deal with them on his own. Ryo had enough problems without him.

"Hey, man, I'm just trying to help you out."

"I'm not sure that's entirely true." Whatever his agenda was, it had done Ryo absolutely no good so far.

Tony smiled and shrugged, as if that would be the end of it. He even turned and started walking away. But he had one last word to get in.

"You'll regret it, Ryo."

Ryo didn't know exactly what he was going to regret, but he wasn't chasing Tony down the street to get him to explain his threat. He sighed, looked at the last swathes of color above the skyline, and got into his car to drive home with a troubled mind. He couldn't get the picture of the murdered couple out of his mind.

* * *

When the world isn't safe for lovers, who is it safe for? Maybe Ryo and Dee need to be careful... 


	9. Late Nights

Unfortunately, I own Tony and everyone else is being borrowed. Read on.

* * *

The only light in the apartment was the glow from the television screen in the living room. Ryo didn't see the pizza box until he was standing on it. He flipped on a light switch.

"Ryo!" Carol jumped up from the floor, where she'd been sprawled out with Bikky on a blanket.

"I was wondering if you'd be home tonight," Bikky said without so much as looking away from the screen. "Since you skipped out on making up dinner like you said, I took the liberty of ordering a couple of pizzas for me and Carol with the emergency money. Oh, and we ordered the new King Kong off Pay-Per-View. You wanna watch?"

"He doesn't know it's a romance," Carol giggled in Ryo's ear, hugging him and picking up the pizza box with an apologetic smile.

Ryo politely declined to watch, but said they could finish as long as they went to bed right after it was over.

"Hey, what held you up?" Bikky stopped watching momentarily when he sensed a sappy scene coming.

"Oh, just another case," Ryo said. Bikky looked at him hard, but since it wasn't a lie, he could look back. Finally his charge gave a satisfied nod.

"We got the pizzas on special, so I only spent $20. I'll put it back in a few days."

"Don't worry about it," Ryo smiled. "I'm sure it was put to good use. And I'm sorry I wasn't home like I said I'd be. Thank you for taking care of Carol.

Bikky flashed a toothy smile, but his attention was sucked back in by an explosion on screen. Ryo watched them for a few minutes, but eventually walked back to his room and closed the door.

He didn't dream in bed that night. He didn't even sleep. He couldn't. The bed felt too empty and he head felt too full. Ryo just wasn't used to dwelling on so many personal issues. He'd spent years being all about schoolwork, then all about his job, occasionally going on casual dates with women but never getting too involved for one reason or another. He hadn't ever though seriously about marriage or children, though he knew he loved kids, and the idea of having someone he cared deeply about to spend the rest of his life with was nice.

Then he'd got put at the 27th, and Dee and Bikky had fallen into his life. Things had kept moving so naturally that he'd never questioned them. After he'd gotten over a few deep-buried questions that Dee had raised in his life, he'd soon accepted them both as fixtures and began to forget times when he didn't have them around.

Now he wasn't sure where they were. Bikky had Carol, and Ryo was thrilled and understanding of that, but he wasn't sure where he'd lost Dee, and the more information he found out, the further away Dee pulled.

Ryo rubbed his eyes and looked at the bedside clock. 2:07. The alarm would go off in another four hours- even after his late night, he had first shift. But if sleep wasn't coming, it wasn't coming, so he got up to stretch the kinks out of his neck and maybe clean up after Bikky and Carol.

The two had fallen asleep in front of the television and the automatic timer had shut it off. Faint light from the windows gave him enough to see by, though. The two empty pizza boxers were piled with used plates and napkins and set against the couch. Ryo unfurled an second blanket and covered them, then took the boxes into the kitchen.

He heard footsteps padding behind him and turned to see Bikky, rubbing his eyes and trailing Ryo'd just got out.

"It's not very considerate of you to take that from Carol," Ryo said, catching his breath. Man, had Bikky scared him.

"S'okay. I gave her my half of the other one." After a tremendous stretch, he looked wide awake. Ah, youth. he set his newly focused eyes on Ryo.

"Couldn't sleep?" Ryo nodded, tipping the boxes into the trashcan.

"Wanna talk about it? I'll listen, I mean, if you want me to." The offer touched him.

"I'm fine, Bikky, really. It's just stress, is all." he couldn't talk seriously to Bikky about his relationship problems with Dee. He fully trusted that child and knew he could emotionally handle and understand a lot more than most adults because of what he'd been through, but that was just going too far.

"Okay, if you say so. But Ryo?"

"Hmm?" He turned to look at Bikky, who was watching him intently. He made him wonder sometimes.

"I just wanted to let you know- about Dee-" His mouth twitched, like he was deciding if he really wanted to say this. He decided to do it.

"He's a pretty cool guy, I guess," he said in a rush. "And he's crazy for you. And if you really like him as much as I think you do, well, I hope things work out soon and you two get back to being all in love and stuff. cause, I don't know, it's kind of nice, what you've got. It's kind of what I want someday. But definitely not with a guy."

"Maybe with Carol?" Ryo asked.

"Yeah, maybe, but don't tell her that."

"I won't."

"Oh, and Ryo?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't tell Dee I said all that stuff. It's true and all, but I don't want him to think I like him or anything when he starts coming around again. That'd be no fun."

"Definitely not," Ryo laughed. "Okay. And thanks Bikky. Now get some sleep."

"Night." He waved as he trod back to his place on the floor beside Carol.

Ryo thought for a minute about what he'd said. Until a little while ago, he'd have agreed with Bikky on every positive point. He needed to talk to Dee and find out where they'd gone wrong, and if it was too late to fix things. Because the truth was, more than anything Ryo wanted Dee beside him again. He wanted it with every fiber of his being and in every corner of his heart.

* * *

Obviously we've proved that wanting isn't enough in this story already, right?


	10. Trust Yourself

So, how are we all feeling about this? Confused? Wonderful! Read on. I don't own anyone but Tony.

* * *

Ryo was still awake when the alarm went off, but Bikky and Carol slept soundly through it. He took a cold shower and skipped breakfast. He had a lot to get done. he was pretty wired by the time he let, since he'd spent the post few hours mentally preparing himself, all the while having his nerves build up until he was running like he had a pot of coffee in his system.

Mornings were still chilly, so his hands were deep in his pockets for the walk between his car and the 27th. He couldn't clock in for a few minutes, but it would give him time to pick up his office so he could actually get some work done today.

He opened the door. There was no evidence of his fit of rage the night before. A note was sitting on a pile of folders on his desk.

_Ryo, hope I got all of these back in the right places. Try to be more careful next time, huh? Things have a way of working out, even when the papers stay on the desk. I'm gonna go get some sleep. Later, Drake_

Now he had nothing to do, but he appreciated the gesture. So many people cared and were looking out for him. that gave him more confidence than a week's worth of pep talking himself would. All he had to do was wait for Dee to show up.

His careful planning about how he'd calmly confront Dee when he walked in was all in vain, though. He kept waiting until the second shift stragglers had come in, thinking that maybe Dee's schedule had been changed. Eventually, though, he had to give up.

Tony dropped by his office after lunch for long enough to be blown off coldly. The chief had sent word that another pair of detectives were taking over their case, for which he was grateful, and that meant they had no reason to be around each other. Ryo was determined to find out some things on his own.

When he left at 4:30, he still felt like he needed to get those answers. He pulled out his cell phone, let Bikky know he wasn't coming straight home, and turned his footsteps towards Dee's apartment. If he wasn't at work, Ryo couldn't think of where else he'd be.

He was ready to do this. That's what he told himself. he took a deep breath and knocked.

"Yeah, coming." Dee took a long time to get there, though. his voice sounded muffled behind the door. Had he been sleeping?

Dee's appearance when he opened the door confirmed that he had, in fact, been sleeping. He was shirtless, his hair disheveled, and behind him Ryo could see the blanket on the couch next to a stack of folders.

"Oh, hey." Dee didn't realize he was running his hand through his hair, trying to make it lay flatter. Ryo was the last person he'd expected to show up.

He stepped aside and told Ryo to close the door behind him while he got a shirt.

All the tenseness Ryo'd expected to be there was when Dee came back into the room. It even looked like he'd messed up his hair more to make up for trying to fix it earlier.

"Things okay at the precinct?" Dee didn't see why he'd bothered to show up. his body language was reading just like it had the last time they'd been together and he locked himself in the bathroom. He'd wanted his space and Dee had given it to him.

"Fine." If he didn't elaborate, it wasn't a lie. "How are things...here?" He'd just never stood around in Dee's apartment.

"Moving along." It looked like he'd brought half of a filing cabinet home and has been working out of his living room for the past few days. Ryo asked him about it.

"Personal favor for the chief. I've been cross referencing cold cases that have piled up in a few areas." He didn't need to mention that he'd been the one to suggest the job, and also to request that he do it from home.

"Oh." Ryo shifted from one foot to the other. Everything he'd wanted to say wouldn't come.

Dee plopped back down on the couch with a heavy sigh. "Look, Ryo-"

"Dee." Dee stopped and looked at him. but he couldn't think of anything else to say. "Dee." His heart rate shot up and his mouth went dry. "Dee-"

What was he doing?

* * *

Ryo's freak out repeating episode seemed really strange when I was writing it, but when your brain stalls (Ryo's, not mine), it seems pretty fitting to me. Whatever. Read on to the next chapter to see if he can spit something else out.


	11. Trust No One Else

Ah, and I don't own these characters, needless to say. None of them but Tony, and he doesn't seem to have many fans, though most of you still seem to be pretty loyal to Dee. We'll see how wise your choices are.

* * *

"Dee-"

"Will you just spit it out already, Ryo?" he said irritably.

"JJ." It was the second thought that popped into his mind."

"Wow, a new word. Want a cookie?"

Ryo deserved all that and more from Dee. He'd kept him in the dark, pushed him away, and even lost faith in him without so much as talking to him about it. Now if Ryo had to look bad so that he could know the truth, that was a small price to pay.

"Dee...we're not okay. I'm not okay. I need-" He broke off. he'd seem concern spark in Dee's eyes and he knew that right now he didn't deserve it. Not yet.

"I started having nightmares a few weeks ago, Dee. Nightmares about...you...and JJ."

"What? You can't be ser-"

"Just- let me finish. Please. I want you to hear all of this. I was afraid to go to sleep because when I dreamed, I lost that one thing that matters most to me over and over again and I couldn't stop it. You- you said-' He felt the tears come and in his mind heard Dee whispering words of love and devotion to JJ. "You loved him and were happy, every night." He couldn't look at Dee, he didn't want to see his reaction. "And then I'd wake up and go to work, and you'd be there, and you'd love me again, but when I saw JJ come in or stop to talk to you, I saw everything all over again. It was so hard to..."

The only thing that kept Dee from stopping him was the fact that Ryo had asked him not to. And he wanted to hear the rest.

"I still thought, you know, I was being paranoid or something. then this long lost friend shows up and he _knows_, and then I started to think it was all some joke on the new guy to see how long he'd been in the dark. And if I was so ignorant for so long, I'm sorry. But I was so in love with out that I couldn't breath sometimes."

"And now?"

"Now I don't breath anymore unless you're breathing with me. I- I wanted you to know, and I wanted you to be the one to tell me once and for all how you feel. I don't want to listen to anything or anyone else. Whatever you say, I'll believe. If JJ- if you and JJ are anything, then I can't stop it. But if you're not, and you want to..." Ryo pulled himself together and looked at Dee. "I think I could use your help to fix myself."

Dee took a long time to say anything at all. It hurt him to listen to Ryo tell him what he'd been going through, that he'd been thinking about him without saying anything for so long. It hurt that Ryo hadn't trusted him. But it hurt the most to watch Ryo bear himself with tears and not comfort him. That made his decision easier. They'd work on the finer details later. For now...

"Come here." He motioned for Ryo to join him on the couch. he sat on the edge, feeling apprehensive. Dee reached out his had and wiped dry one of Ryo's cheeks. Fresh tears threatened to fall again.

Dee pulled him forward into his chest, wrapping his arms around him as tightly as he could without being painful. Ryo's arms naturally slid around Dee's waist. He tried not to get his shoulder wet with his tears as he breathed in his scent.

"Do you feel this, Ryo?" He wasn't talking about anything physical. Ryo felt it. "I've never felt this for anyone else. You're the only person I've ever been in love with. JJ is an old friend. But you are..." He buried his head into Ryo's neck and kissed him there. "You have nothing to worry about. Ever."

Quiet laughter filled the room. Dee jerked away from Ryo.

"He's lying, you know."

Ryo turned to look at the doorway, where Dee's eyes were already fixed.

"Tony?" Dee didn't understand what he was doing there, what he was talking about, or why he had his gun drawn.

* * *

Huh. Anyone expect this? What's going to happen now? Hm... You'll have to wait and see! 


	12. Old Flame

Don't own them...

* * *

Dee didn't understand what Tony was talking about. He was lying? 

"Tony, put the gun away."

"Nah, Dee, I think I'll keep it out." He swiveled the barrel to Dee, then Ryo. "But I'm not as trigger happy as you. I know how to bide my time. So I wouldn't worry...yet."

Ryo moved to stand, but Tony had the gun aimed at his head.

"Don't try it, pretty boy, you're no hero. And toss me yours, while you're at it."

Damn it. Ryo had been counting on being able to get his out, since he hadn't taken it off after work.

"What the hell is this about?" Dee clenched his fists as Tony closed the door and took a few steps towards them. Being held hostage over the back of a couch in his own living room by someone he'd thought was his friend didn't put him in a good mood. Especially considering he'd been in the middle of putting things back on track with Ryo.

"I couldn't stand by and let you play Ryo like you've been doing," Tony shrugged, as if it were simple.

"Play him? I think maybe you've been doing a little too much playing." Ryo'd already admitted that it was Tony who'd been dropping all these hints about Dee's supposed sordid past and present.

Tony laughed. "Dee, don't you remember? We went through Academy together. I know you. And I know all about what's really been going on with JJ. I'm supposed to let and innocent bystander like Ryo get dragged through hell and back so you can have a little fun outside the 'marriage'? Think again." It was strange that his gun was still on Ryo throughout this little monologue. As far as he'd stated, he had no grudge against him.

"What are you talking about? Just what the hell is it that makes everyone think there's something between me and _JJ_?" The little creep's advances had always been a strictly one-way display.

"I don't think, Dee, I know. You told me so yourself."

"You lying son-of-a-bi-"

"Ah, ah, ah." Tony's gun swiveled back to Dee. Ryo's heart skipped a beat.

"Tony, as far as I can tell, whatever is or was between Dee and JJ-"

"Which is nothing!" Dee said furiously.

"Whatever it was is something I have to deal with. Me, not you. So why are you so involved in this?"

"No. No, don't you see Ryo?" He ground his teeth. The gun moved back to him. "He's using you. You're just so blinded by his charm that you don't realize it." He laughed out loud. Ryo remembered something Tony had said to him once.

"_If I ever knew two people who loved each other, it's them. And Dee will always choose JJ. Trust me, I'm speaking from experience."_

"You know," Ryo said, shocked that it had taken him so long. "You know because it happened to you, didn't it?"

Tony's smile dropped away. His face got dark. "You're damn right it did," he growled. "Dee was the first person I was partnered with at the Academy. At first, I thought he was a cocky bastard, but the more time I spent around him, the more I thought I was in love with him. So one day I got up the nerve to tell him, and he said- do you remember what you told me, Dee?"

Dee was at a loss. he didn't even remember this happening.

"I didn't think so. You said, 'Sorry, but my hands are full with JJ right now.' That's what you told me. And then you requested to be switched to JJ's partner, and the COs were to in love with you that they did it the next week. I thought you'd ruined my life. I wanted to die. But I realized what had been going on, and that I've never loved you. You tricked me!"

Dee did remember what he was talking about now, and it proved that the memory can play funny tricks on people. Tony had pulled him aside after a night out drinking and gushed like a school girl. Dee had thought he'd been too wasted to take seriously, and he'd been dealing with JJ's crap all night, so the irritated response didn't surprise him at all. He'd never requested a transfer. The COs had done it to torture him, hoping that their golden boy JJ would straighten out his cocky attitude.

But Tony wasn't hearing any of it.

"Don't bother, Dee. I know what you are, and I'm not going to let you use someone else!" His gun hadn't moved off Ryo.

_I can bide my time._ He'd been waiting to do this for years. It had been his plan even since he'd him to put Ryo out of his misery. When he stated to distrust him, Tony decided to get it over with today, but Ryo led him right to Dee. he could kill the two birds with two bullets to their heads.

"You were right, Ryo. I have problems with relationships. People are all fooling people or getting fooled. Think of this as me sparing you from that pain."

He pulled the trigger. All Ryo could think of was getting to Dee. He dove forward on the couch, moving his head from the line of the bullet and instead placing his shoulder in it. He hit Dee and they rolled off the couch together.

Ryo killed a groan as his shoulder hit the floor. He didn't know if the shot went through entirely or not, but right now he wasn't worried. Dee looked like he had enough of that for both of them.

Trying to clear his head, Ryo searched Dee's face for something to do. Tony had just made it clear that this wasn't a game anymore.

* * *

Call the cops! Damn, they are the cops, huh? Oh no... 


	13. Love And Death

This is it, guys, the end. Don't own anyone but Tony (and seriously, I don't want him).

* * *

Ryo wracked his brain. They had to get out of this, and fast, and they had o i it with virtually no verbal communication. Tony was a few feet behind them and coming forward, laughing at them and enjoying his feeling of power.

Dee tapped him to get his attention. He held up a small handgun, pulled from somewhere beneath the couch cushions. Ryo wasn't comfortable thinking he'd sat on that so many times. At least it had a safety. Dee pressed it into his hand, kissed his forehead, and raised his hands before standing slowly. He had faith that Ryo would know what to do. He did.

"You killed him." Dee's voice was low, dead of emotion. He clenched his fists. "You-"

"You didn't love him," Tony said. Ryo couldn't see him, but he didn't seem to be in too much of a hurry to shoot Dee. He had a suspicion that he wouldn't, or at least that he didn't really want to. What Tony felt fro Dee wasn't love, but it was powerful, powerful enough to make him wait for this moment.

Dee fumed silently.

"I got him out of the way for you," Tony laughed. "Now if you don't want me to kill you, and if you want your precious JJ to stay safe, maybe we can...work something out." His voice dripped with slime.

Now or never.

Ryo ignored the sharp pain in his shoulder as he slid around the couch far enough to get a clear shot. Tony's eyes went wide.

"I think I'd have to object to any deals."

Both guns went off at the same time. Dee landed on top of Ryo. He didn't know if it was in time.

Across the room he heard Tony his the ground. and he opened his eyes. Ryo's smiling, tear-filled face greeted him.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey," Ryo replied. he shifted a little and his face paled. "Shit."

Dee got to his knees. His carpet was soaked with blood.

Ryo laughed weakly. "I'm sorry Dee." There was always so much to apologize for at times like this.

"No. Don't be sorry. Just hold on." He leaned to kiss him. "I love you, Ryo."

"Ryo nodded, closing his eyes. "I know. I love..." But he didn't finish.

* * *

Dee crouched just outside of the globe of flashing light from the roof of the ambulance. An EMT was headed for him, shaking his head and wiping his hands on his pants.

"It was the second shot," he said. "It glanced off a bone and came out at an angle- we couldn't find it at first. But sheesh, twice in the shoulder. He's not going to be doing any heavy lifting for a while, but otherwise he'll be fine. You can go see him."

Dee stood up, shook the man's hand, and ran over to the open doors.

"Hey," Ryo smiled. He winced when the bandages over his shoulder tightened.

"Hey." Dee climbed in beside him and took his hand, squeezing it.

"Ah, not so hard. I don' need to be called back from the dead, you know." They laughed and he loosened his grip.

Dee hadn't asked about Tony. Ryo was a top marksman, and with the detectives head leaking all over his floor, it looked like he wasn't going to be standing trial for attempted murder. He didn't even care.

"You riding to the hospital, officer?"

"Yeah. Let's-"

"Ryo!" Bikky and Carol ran up to the ambulance, panting.

"What are you two brats doing here?" Dee asked, annoyed.

"We came to keep you company," Bikky said. Or at least they'd come to make sure Ryo didn't need them as company.

"I thought I said you could buy another movie." Ryo said.

Bikky eyed Carol distrustfully. "No thanks. One was enough." he must have finally figured out it was really a romance.

"What happened, Ryo?" Carol asked.

"We gotta go, folks, all aboard."

"Dee'll explain," Ryo said, closing his eyes again. Maybe after all the excitement, he'd be able to sleep now.

* * *

The sun streaming through the window woke him up. Dee was leaning over him as he'd been every morning when he woke up since the night he'd been shot. He was watching over him.

"Morning. Sleep well?"

"Yeah," Ryo sighed, not quite awake.

"Any bad dreams?"

"Not a one."

"Good." He kissed his forehead. "Because the next time you're dreaming about me and some other man, you can get him to take care of you." Dee slid a breakfast tray between them. Ryo laughed. He'd been staying at Ryo's place for almost a week, and they both had to admit it was as nice arrangement. Sharing breakfast in bed was not a daily ritual.

"Oh, and to make your morning even better, they cracked your case last night."

"Hmm?"

"Double homicide? They matched the gun to one Tony had in his apartment. One less jail cell to bother filling." Ryo nodded. He'd been trying not to think about Tony, and being out of work meant he really didn't have to think about JJ, either. He brushed over something in the back of his mind, then returned to it, knowing what damage it could do it he didn't mention this last thing.

"Hey, Dee?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember that night I- when I locked myself in the bathroom?" It sounded completely idiotic when he said it. He had no idea what he'd been thinking.

"Vividly." His partner smiled.

"Who was it calling you?"

Dee laughed. "Okay, you're going to take this wrong. It was JJ. But- Hey listen, don't give me that look. It was totally innocent." Dee reached into this pocket and pulled out a small velvet box, which he set on Ryo's tray.

"I had him pick something up for me since he was going to the other side of town. he wasn't happy, but he did it."

Ryo picked up the box and opened it. Inside were two gold bands that winked in the morning sun.

"Read the insides." Each was inscribed with one of their names.

"You can take either one you want, not pressure or anything. They'll both fit." Remarkably enough, they had the same ring size.

Ryo slid the band with Dee's name on it around his ring finger. Dee smiled and did the same with Ryo's.

"I know you're the person I belong to," he whispered. He kissed the ring on Ryo's finger. "And now you'll never forget that."

Ryo could never forget it. But now he knew that he'd never lose it, either.

* * *

Possibly a corny ending, but it did explain that phone call. Did you guys think Dee was cheating with JJ? Come on. So, I guess this is it for us. Thanks for sticking around, reading, and reviewing. You've been great! 


End file.
